Toy aeroplane



J. 0. HOWARD.

TOY AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 23. 1919.

)1 i-53m 1 93, atented June 20, 1922.

.1 I f Y abtozmm JOSEPH 0. HOWARD, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

TOY AEROPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June eaaaea.

Application filed January 23, 1919. Serial No. 272,628.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l. Josnrn O. Hownno, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of lV-ayne, State of Michian, have invented a certain new and useful mprovement in Toy Aeroplanes, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification. This invention relates to toy aeroplanes, and its object is to provide an aeroplane made of paper, the design and construction being such as to secure the necessary strength and stability for the purpose so that (although the device is made of paper) the several parts of the structure, due to the design and arrangement, are of sufficient strength to prevent distortionor displacement thereof in ordinary use. l[ am aware that; toy aeroplanes have heretofore been made of paper but in such former constructions the device becomes so quickly deformed in use as to be of little service. This invention seeks to avoid such former weaknesses in construction and to provide a device that is adapted to be thrown by hand and, due to the momentum thus acquired, to maintain itself for a period in the air and to simulate an ordinary aeroplane in flight. An additional object of the invention is to provide an aeroplane of a construction in which the center of-gravity of the device is positioned forward of the center of lift of the sustaining plane and a permanently positioned elevating plane positioned at the tail .of a character tending to depress the tail in flight and to secure an aeroplane that subsequent to its being cast into the air tends to continue in fiightthrongh the action of force of gravity as is hereinafter shown.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fuselage orbody of a rigid construction in the form of a. cone, the upper surface of which is slitted at two spaced points providing means to receive and hold the edges of the plane extending thercacross in the desired curve and angle of incidence necessary for flight. provide a uni ue landing gearof paper of a shape and c aracter tending to maintain the plane in lateral," equilibrium upon strikin the surface as the floor. 'These and other obgects and the several novel features of the An additional object is to invention in its preferred form are hereinafter more fully described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a toy aeroplane embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a detail in end elevation show ing an alternative form of construction of the plane.

The device is preferably of the monoplane type and the fuselage or body 1 is formed of paper rolled to shapdforming a long taporing cone, the body being practically of a single roll with the edges of the paper secured together and providing a body which is very light in weight and of the maximum of strength. The large end of the cone is at the forward end of the body as is shown in the drawing and at the forward end has a cork ballast secured within the interior thereof as indicated by dotted lines 2 in Fig. 2 by means of which the necessary weight at the forward end is secured. The cone 1 extends somewhat forward of the front end of the cork member and about this end is wrapped a second cone providing a. pointed nose 3 formed of paper and having a trailing portion 4 extending below the under side of the body providing a landing gear, the terminal end of which is bent upward and secured to the lower side of the body as indicated at 5. This portion 4 is somewhat wider than the body at the forward end, as will be. understood from Fig. 1, and provides a-s urface in continuation of and at the same angle as the portion of the cone member 3 of which it forms a part. This landing gear tends to right the plane as it strikes a surface bringing it to rest on the landing gear as the width of-the part 4 is such as to hold thedevice in lateral balance when at rest.

The plane 6 fuselage, as shown, a single sheet of paper of desired shape or may be made of a number of sheets as is hereinafter described. In either form of construction, however, the plane is secured tothe body in the same manner. For this purpose the body is provided with an anginlar slit near the forward end providing a flap 7 the angle of this slit uite closely approaching the horizontal. similar slit is extends transversely of the formed toward the rear endof the body proincidence.

viding a flap 8 and this latter slit is preferably at a greater angle to thehorizontal, as will be understood from Fig. 2. The longitudinal edges of the plane are inserted in the respective slits and the distance between the bottom of the two slits is less than the normal width of the plane member, whereby the plane when in position is held in the form of a curve. This curved shape together with the formation of the slits at different angles gives the plane the necessary form and angle of incidence, the entering edge of the wing relative to a horizontal line being higher than the trailing edge. In this respect the plane quite closely approaches the shape in cross section of the commercial aeroplane.

per member 10 which is bent to a curve slightly somewhat less in diameter than the curve of the lower member 9 and is sustained in such relationship by turning the opposite longitudinal edges 11 of the member 9 over the edge of the upper member 10 as shown in Fig. 3. This provides a plane considerably stiffer than the plane formed of a single sheet and the composite plane thus formed is secured in slits in the body in the same manner as is shown in Fig. 2 providing the necessary form and angle of The main difference between the two types of planes is that the latter type is of greater strength.

For the purpose of flight the aeroplane is necessarily provided with a vertical and horizontal rudder. These, I have formed of paper and tosecure the same to the tail end of the fuselage I provide cross slits in the said tail end, the vertical portion of which is adapted to receive the vertical rudder and the horizontal portion to receive the horizontal rudder which are glued in place. These rudders are fixed as to shape and position so far as the character or material will permit and the horizontal rudder 12, as will be understood from Fig. 2, is provided with a terminal upturned portion 13, the tendency of which in flight is to turn the nose of the-device upward so that it tends to traverse the air in nearly horizontal position its upward tendency counteractmg the weight at the forward end. The vertical rudder 14 may be of any desired shape tending to maintain the device inflight in a straight line'in a horizontal plane.

By the provision of the cork ballast at the forward end, the device may be weighted to a greater or less extent by simply inserting a tack or the like therein and thus the necessary balance of the device may be secured by the addition of a greater or less number of tacks or other devices necessary 'ment. 1n a commercial aeroplane to balance the device fore and aft. \Vhile I have described a cork ballast and methodof attaching weights thereto to secure the necessary balance it is evident that the device may be weighted in any approved manner to secure the desired result. The necessity of weighting the forward end of the fuselage is occasioned by the necessity-of providing in a toy aeroplane a tractor elethe tractor is the propeller which drawsthe aeroplane forward through the air and in such case the center of gravity may be at or behind what is known as the center lift of the sustaining plane. In this present invention, even though the device may be cast into the air by hand as suggested, the weight positioned forward of the center'of lift of the sustaining plane tends to cause the machine to sail properly. By the weight being thus forward of the center of lift, gravity has a tendency to turn the machine to a descending angle about a transverse axis at the center of lift. This causes the machine to fall at a descending angle and the acceleration in speed causes the elevating planes (which are permanently upwardly inclined or upturned as shown) to counteract the tendency of the weight to turn the machine downward and causes the same to traverse a nearly horizontal plane. In a toyof the general character shown, if the center of gravity is positioned at or behind the center of lift, the toy would simply fall in a manner similarto a commercial aeroplane inrfalling out of control. \Vith the center of gravity forward of the center of lift as shown, the device will continue in flight for a distance greater than the force applied alone would impel it due to the action of gravity which causes it to pick up speed and thus make a succession of steps in' flight. it starting in a substantially horizontal line then falling for a short distance until speed is attained in which the elevating planes will again turn the machine to horizontal and, upon suflicient decrease in speed, gravity again acts to turn the machine to a descending angle in which speed is increased until the same is again turned to substantially a horizontal plane. Successful and prolonged flight of this device .depends upon this feature of construction. From the above description it will be readily understood as to what is meant by the weighting of the nose to a greater or less extent to obtain the necessary balance.

Having thus briefly described my invention, what I claim is 1. A toy aeroplane comprising a long cone shaped body of paper. a nose member provided at the forward end of the body, the

said body having a slit formed therein near the forward end and a second slit toward the rear or pointed end of the body, the slit at the forward end being at a less angle to the horizontal than the slit toward the rear end. and a plane member the edges of which are inserted in the slits. the distance between the bottom of the slits being less than the nornuil'width of the plane whereby said plane is held in a curved shape in cross section. the flaps provided by the said slits being glued to the plane.

2. A toy aeroplane comprising a long cone shaped, fuselage of paper. a coned nose member thereon. a plane secured to the upper surface. a landing gear formed with asurface coincident with the lower surface of the nose member and extending below the lower side of the body. and a fixed vertical and horizontal rudder at the tail end of the body portion.

3. A toy aeroplane consisting of a body formed of paper. a plane member of paper extending equidistantly each side 'of the body. said body being provided with slits near the forward and toward the rear end thereof in which the entering and trailing edges respectively of the plane member may be inserted. the distance between the bottom of the forward and rear slits being less than the normal width of the plane member whereby the sameis bowed in cross section in assembling with the body. the entering edge of the plane member being at a greater distance from the longitudinal axis of the body than the trailing edge. and fixed vertical and horizontal rudders at the tail of the body. the horizontal rudder being of a shape tending to cause elevation of the nose in flight.

4. A toy areoplane consisting of a cone shaped fuselage of paper. a fixed horizontal and vertical rudder secured to the-pointed end of the body. a cone, shaped nose member secured at the forward end-thereof. a"

plane secured to the upper surface of the body, the body having a slit near the forward end to receive the entering edge of the plane and a slit toward the rear end to receive the trailing edge of the plane, the slits being ofa distance apart to hold the plane in curved shape in cross section and the angle of the slits positioning the plane at the desired angle of incidence.

A toy aeroplane consisting of a cone shaped fuselage of paper, a eoned nose member of paper secured to the large end thereof, fixed horizontal and vertical rud-' distance from the longitudinal axis of the body than the trailing edge. the plane member consisting of an upper and lower sheet of paper. the upper sheet being curved on a. radius of less diameter'than the lower sheet spacing the said sheets for the greater portion of their width, the sheets being secured together at the forward and rear edges only, and means on the body for receiving the plane member to maintain the same in bowed form in cross section (S. A toy aeroplane comprising along cone shaped fuselage formed ofa. roll of paper, a cone shaped paper nose inemher secured to the large end of the fuselage and having an integral portion extending beneath the body, the end of said portion being secured to the body to hold said portion in spaced relation therewith and providing a. landing gear, the terminal portion of which provides a surface transversely of the body of greater width adapted to, sustain the plane in lateral equilibrium when resting on a surface. a plane secured to the upper surface of the fuselage near the forward end, and a vertical and horizontal rudder at the pointed end of the fuselage.

7. A toy aeroplane consisting of a cone shaped fuselage formed of paper, a coned nose. member secured to the forward large end thereof, a paper plane'member secured near the forward end of the body. a ballast member secured to the large end of the fuselage positioning the center of gravity of the device forward of the center of lift of the plane member and a fixed vertical and horizontal rudder at the small end of the fication. v

JOSEPH '0. HOWARD. 

